Elysian’s Great Pumpkin Beer Festival Comes Home to Capitol Hill
Elysian’s Great Pumpkin Beer Festival came home to Capitol Hill this past weekend, celebrating its 21st year with hundreds of friends, revelers, and plenty of pumpkin beer. After hitting up a couple of spots around Seattle for the past two decades, the fest returned to the neighborhood that gave it its start.
At a media sneak peak just before the taps started to flow, David Buhler, co-founder of Elysian Brewing, shared with me how it all began. “We had just brewed a pumpkin beer that wasn’t quite right for competition. So, my business partner and head brewer said, we have to brew a third pumpkin beer.”
For Buhler, the question became, “What are we going to do with three pumpkin beers?” He laughed and added, “I said, ‘Let’s throw a pumpkin festival. We’ll put beer in a pumpkin and tap it.’ It sounded silly enough that we had to try it. And now, 21 years later, it’s become an iconic fall festival.”
Pumpkin Faves
This year featured more than 60 pumpkin beers from breweries around the world. In addition to Elysian’s Hansel & Gretel Ginger Pumpkin Pilsner, Buhler said he was especially excited for the Wicked Wheat Sour and the new Belgian Cranberry Sour. “I just love that style of pumpkin and spice and sour.” he said.
For two nights, Capitol Hill buzzed with costumes, music, and plenty of pumpkin-tinged vibes. Food trucks were at the ready serving everything from cheesy bites to sweet treats to giant smoked turkey legs. Live music kicked in and ramped up the energy even more.
If you’ve been to GPBF in the past, you know the real showstopper is a larger-than-life pumpkin that the good folks at Elysian track down, hallow out, and fill with special nut-brown ale. This year’s gourd weighed in at a whopping 1,600 pounds. As dusk began to settle over the festivities, fest-goers jostled their way up front to the giant pumpkin as it was officially tapped and the beer began to flow. Quick with their glasses, the crowd filled their goblets for a celebratory taste, raising them for a big, messy, perfect toast to fall, pumpkin beer, and the festival coming home.
“It feels right. It feels like a celebration that was meant to be here all the time,” Buhler said with a smile.
Slideshow follows
